The present invention relates to a shift device for a vehicle which switches shift ranges of the vehicle.
In recent years, a so-called electric shifter device which electrically detects a position of a shift lever and conducts gear shifting is known as a shift device for a vehicle. The electric shifter device has been widely used for electric vehicles or hybrid vehicles which do not have a mechanical type of transmission. However, the electric shifter device which has not require mechanical connection of the shift lever and the transmission has been also used gradually for vehicles equipped with the mechanical type of transmission, such as conventional vehicles equipped with an engine (internal combustion engine) only as a drive source, because of its superior flexibility of designing.
Further, the electric shifter device which is not restricted by an operational stroke of the shift lever is generally comprised of a so-called momentary type of mechanism in order to improve its compactness and operability. Specifically, the momentary type of electric shifter device is configured such that when the shift lever standing upright is operatically tilted in a specified direction from a home position, a shift range is changed, and then when the shift lever is released from its holding by a driver's hand, the shift lever is automatically returned to the home position, maintaining the changed shift range. Examples of this momentary type of electric shifter device are disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 2004/0025613 A1 and 2012/0291579 A1.
While it has merits of the compactness and the like as described above, the above-described momentary type of electric shifter device has a demerit that the shift range may be improperly changed (a possible erroneous operation) when a driver or another passenger touches the shift lever inadvertently. In order to solve this demerit, the device disclosed in the former of the above-described patent publications is configured such that the shift range is switched to a neutral range when the shift lever is operated in a first direction from the home position, and the shift range is switched to a traveling range (a drive range or a reverse range) when the shift lever is operated in another direction (a second direction) from a current lever position (a neutral position). According to this device, even if the shift lever is tiled improperly through inadvertent touching of a hand of the driver or the like therewith, transmission of a drive force of an engine is shut off in accordance with changing to the neutral range only, and the traveling range is not selected unless the shift lever is operated in the second direction from the neutral position. Thus, any improper influence caused by the erroneous operation can be minimized.
An electric shifter device having a button switch at the shift lever is disclosed in the latter of the above-described patent publications. This electric shifter device is configured such that the neutral range is selected when the button switch is pressed, and the traveling range is selected when the shift lever is operated, keeping the button switch being pressed. According to this device, the traveling range is not selected unless the pressing operation of the button switch and the tilting operation of the shift lever are conducted concurrently. Thus, a situation in which the traveling range may be selected improperly against a driver's intent can be prevented.
When the traveling range is selected in the device of the former of the above-described patent publications, it is necessary that the shift lever is further tilted in the second direction after the shift lever has been tilted in the first direction, which makes a total stroke necessary for selecting the traveling range improperly long. This may cause the driver who wants quick selection of the traveling range to have troublesome feelings.
Meanwhile, the traveling range cannot be selected without pressing the button switch in the device of the latter of the above-described patent publications. This may be preferable for prevention of the erroneous operation of the shift lever (for improvement of the safety), but may be troublesome for the driver wanting the quick selection of the traveling range, too. That is, it is necessary in the device of the latter that the shift lever is tilted, keeping the button switch being pressed (i.e., gripping the shift lever firmly). This may lose the light and easy lever-operation, thereby making the driver have troublesome feelings, too.